The truth was, despite being called the dedicated private Pokémon Day Care for the skill shop, the actual work involved was incredibly simple.
The job mostly consisted of feeding Pokémon in the morning, afternoon, and evening.
There was very little technical knowledge required.
To put it bluntly, any mentally sound and physically healthy person could do it.
The only real requirement was trust.
And Ash trusted Melanie.
"It's already five-thirty in the afternoon."
Ash glanced at the time before smiling.
"We need to feed the Pokémon staying at the skill shop soon anyway."
"How about you come with me and give it a try?"
"You can familiarize yourself with the workflow."
Melanie looked tempted.
Very tempted.
Yet there was still a trace of hesitation in her eyes.
Ash understood why.
He was genuinely satisfied with Melanie as a candidate.
First, she loved Pokémon.
Second, she possessed a natural affinity with them.
Third, she had extensive experience caring for them.
Those three qualities alone already made her an outstanding employee.
More importantly, Melanie was introverted and socially anxious.
She had chosen to withdraw from society entirely and live alone in Viridian Forest.
On top of that, she was one of Ash's admirers.
Whether viewed objectively—from her isolated lifestyle—or subjectively—from her own personality and values—
Both factors greatly reduced the chances of Ash's biggest secret ever being exposed.
The core of his skill shop's success—
The secrets of the Ascension Trainer System and his psychic abilities.
In short:
Melanie was capable.
Ash trusted her.
And her needs aligned perfectly with the position.
She needed Pokémon companionship.
She needed protection while living in Viridian Forest.
And she needed a stable source of income.
Ash needed a trustworthy caretaker for his future Pokémon Day Care.
It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
A true win-win situation.
"I..."
Melanie hesitated for a moment.
Then she took a deep breath.
"Alright."
"I'd like to try."
She knew exactly how valuable this opportunity was.
And how perfectly it matched her lifestyle.
Although she still worried whether she could handle the responsibility, she didn't want to let such an opportunity slip away.
"Great."
Ash smiled.
"Then let's get started."
With that, he began releasing batches of customer Pokémon from their Poké Balls.
"Currently, the skill shop's customers are divided into two main groups."
"The first group consists of regular customers."
"Mostly Trainers from across Kanto who send their Pokémon to learn moves."
"The second group consists of large organizations that have signed long-term contracts."
"They mainly send Magikarp to learn Tackle."
"And honestly, those Pokémon make up the majority of our workload."
As Ash explained, Poké Balls began appearing one after another.
"Since they're all Magikarp, it's very easy to mix them up."
"So their Poké Balls have to be stored separately in boxes or bags."
"When feeding time comes, they're released in batches."
Ash then opened his system storage and retrieved numerous Poké Balls along with various types of Pokémon food.
Soon, the familiar feeding routine began.
For regular customers, Ash generally accepted orders in five-day batches.
Each batch originally consisted of five Pokémon.
Most Pokémon could master their target move within two or three days before being returned to their Trainers.
However, as Ash's psychic power continued growing and customer demand increased, he had gradually expanded the number of Pokémon he accepted.
The cycle was still five days per batch.
But each batch now contained twenty-five Pokémon.
One after another, Pokémon emerged from their Poké Balls.
Most belonged to different species.
Meanwhile, Ash also released ten Magikarp from the long-term contract group.
In total—
Thirty-five Pokémon appeared before them.
Ash, Clarissa, Pikachu, Greninja, and the others were already accustomed to this scene.
For them, it was completely normal.
Melanie, however, had never witnessed this side of Ash's operation.
The moment thirty-five Pokémon suddenly appeared around her—
She nearly jumped in surprise.
"W-Wow..."
Her eyes widened.
For a brief moment, she didn't know what to do.
Fortunately, Ash, Clarissa, and Greninja had already begun preparing food.
After watching them for a short while, Melanie quickly joined in.
Following Ash's example, she picked up feeding trays and carefully portioned out the appropriate Pokémon food according to each Pokémon's type.
At first, she was somewhat flustered.
Unsure.
Awkward.
But gradually, she settled into the rhythm.
The more she worked, the more natural it felt.
Before long, she had fully gotten the hang of it.
Just as Ash had said, there was very little technical complexity involved.
Although it sounded impressive to call it "managing the dedicated Pokémon Day Care for the skill shop," the reality was that it mostly involved feeding Pokémon and monitoring their daily condition.
There were many Pokémon to care for.
But feeding alone wasn't particularly difficult.
Melanie wasn't disabled.
She was mentally mature.
Physically healthy.
While she was somewhat introverted, she was perfectly capable when it came to work.
As they fed the Pokémon, Ash occasionally pointed out small details and useful tips.
Melanie absorbed everything quickly.
Her learning speed exceeded Ash's expectations.
With Ash, Clarissa, Greninja, and Melanie all helping together, efficiency increased dramatically.
Normally, feeding all the Pokémon took nearly forty minutes.
Today—
The job was finished in only thirty.
After the feeding session ended, Ash turned toward a floating smartphone nearby.
"Rotom."
"Upload the videos and photos to the skill shop customer group."
"And make sure to tag the appropriate Trainers."
"Roger, Rotom!"
The Rotom inhabiting the phone nodded energetically.
Throughout the feeding process, it had been busy taking pictures and recording videos of all the Pokémon.
This had become a standard service provided by the skill shop.
On one hand, it reassured Trainers who missed their Pokémon.
On the other, it improved customer satisfaction and service quality.
Most importantly—
The photos and videos served as evidence.
If anyone ever tried to falsely accuse the shop of mistreatment or spread malicious rumors, Ash would have documented proof to defend himself.
As a result, regular photography and video updates had become a permanent part of the shop's operations.
Watching Rotom work, another thought crossed Ash's mind.
If Melanie really takes over this position...
I'll need to apply for a portable Poké Ball Transfer Machine from the League.
And she'll need her own Rotom as well.
Not to mention a work phone and computer.
As the boss, I'll have to provide all of that.
"Okay, Rotom!"
Rotom saluted enthusiastically and floated away to continue its duties.
After recalling the Pokémon back into their Poké Balls, Ash finally turned toward Melanie.
"Well?"
"You've seen the entire workflow now."
"The Pokémon Day Care job is basically feeding Pokémon three times a day."
"Nothing particularly complicated."
"So what's your answer?"
"Are you willing to take the position?"
Melanie looked down for a moment.
Even now, she still worried whether Ash's customers would truly accept her.
But she also understood something.
This job suited her perfectly.
And opportunities like this didn't come often.
Most importantly...
She genuinely didn't want to give it up.
After a long pause, she finally gathered her courage.
"I..."
Then she raised her head.
A faint but determined smile appeared on her face.
"I'd like to do it."
"I want to try."
As she spoke those words, excitement quietly filled her heart.
After all—
Not only had she found a job perfectly suited to her life.
She would also be working under the person she admired most.
For Melanie, that alone was enough to make her incredibly happy and satisfied.
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T/N:
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